OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list is completely subjective, the opinion is that of the individual author.

#20 Rylie Wilcox (Western Bulldogs)

DOB: 03/12/2004
Height: 158cm
Position: Wing/Small Forward
Games: 10

Rylie Wilcox is not big, but makes up for it in damaging football traits. A first-year player with the Western Bulldogs, the Northern Knights graduate had a memorable debut season. Nominated for the Rising Star, Wilcox picked up 10 votes at the Season 7 Rising Star count including as high as four votes from ex-AFLW player Sam Virgo.

Wilcox was selected with pick number 22 in the 2022 AFL Women’s Draft and though she was only 158cm, showed that height means little when you have the evasion ability and skills that Wilcox does. A natural winger who could go forward and hit the scoreboard, Wilcox averaged 20.2 disposals and 5.4 marks from a limited five games, while kicking two goals.

Her class rose to the top at the national carnival where she averaged 16 disposals, three marks and kicked two goals, earning All-Australian honours. Wilcox also had a taste of playing against senior bodies in the VFL Women’s in a three-game stint for Carlton. Since coming up to the elite level, Wilcox has not looked out of place at all.

SEASON 7 KEY STATS:

Games: 10
Goals: 5
Disposals: 10.6
Disposal Efficiency: 63.2
Marks: 1.8
Tackles: 2.2
Clearances: 1.3
Inside 50s: 1.6
Score involvements: 1.7
Time of Ground %: 62

Wilcox was named on the wing for her debut in Round 1, where she had 13 disposals and two marks in a seven-point win over GWS. A week later, from just 41 per cent of time on the ground, she had 15 disposals and 80 per cent disposal efficiency, as well as four marks and four clearances.

Unfortunately overlooked for a Rising Star nomination in Round 2, Wilcox earned that nomination a week later after kicking her first AFLW goal and having a season-high 252 metres gained in the match. She would end up having her lowest efficiency that game, but in six of her 10 matches, Wilcox would record 60 per cent disposal efficiency or higher en route to a 10.6 disposal average debut season.

LOOKING AHEAD

There is enormous potential for Wilcox to improve. For starters, she only averaged 62 per cent of time on ground. That was due to a combination of Wilcox coming off an injury-interrupted junior season in the first six months of the year, as well as being a lightly bodied player. In the first five weeks, Wilcox averaged 56.5 per cent time on ground, which boosted to 67.4 per cent in the last five weeks.

Though Wilcox was not able to show her best in a loss to Collingwood in the first week of finals, she will benefit greatly from that experience, and an extended off-season. With high-level athletic traits and brilliant decision making, expect Wilcox’s time on ground, score involvements, disposal numbers and inside 50s to all rise in Season 8.